For area New Orleans Saints, it's been a long time coming.
After being spectators the past three seasons, Saints fans will get a chance to see their beloved team compete in the playoffs when New Orleans hosts NFC South rival Carolina Panthers at 3:40 p.m. Sunday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
After an 0-2 start, many Saints fans were wondering if the team was headed to its fourth-straight 7-9 season. But the Saints turned things around in Week 3 against the Panthers and rolled to an 11-5 record and their first NFC South title since the 2011 season.
"It's great to see the Saints back in the playoffs," said Michael Thibodaux, of Houma. "That's where they belong."
Since winning Super Bowl XLIV in the 2009 season, the Saints have hosted only one playoff game -- an NFC wildcard game against the Detroit Lions during the 2011 season.
Because of that, Ralph Sapia of Lockport said he is expecting an electric atmosphere Sunday afternoon in the Superdome.
"I'm not sure playing a division rival will make a difference," Sapia said. "If we have the same crowd like we had two weeks ago in the Atlanta game, the Saints will be hard to beat. During that game, I haven't seen the enthusiasm and heard that much noise in the dome in quite some time."
The Saints and Panthers will each be riding playoff streaks heading into Sunday's wildcard game. The Saints have won five straight home playoff games, which is tied for the third-longest active streak in the NFL. The Panthers, however, are 3-0 all-time in the wildcard round and are the only NFL team to never have lost in that round.
Jeannie Stewart of Houma said she is confident the Saints' playoff streak will continue because they are a team of destiny and will be back in the Super Bowl for the first time in eight years.
"I really think the Saints have a good chance to give (quarterback) Drew (Brees) another Super Bowl ring," Stewart said. "I never thought I would like to see the Saints in the Super Bowl. Now, I may have a chance to see them in another one."
Stewart is not the only one who believes the Saints are a team of destiny.
Vince Cannata, owner of Cannata's Market, said the 2017 Saints have the same chance to shock the world as the 2009 team did when it upset the Peyton Manning-led Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
"Nobody would have believed that when the Saints got into the playoffs in 2009 that they would go all the way and win the Super Bowl," Cannata said. "You are never totally confident, but I feel like the Saints have a chance to go deep in the playoffs. I'm afraid to say Super Bowl because I don't want to jinx them, but if it happens, I'll be there."
Marcy Nathan, creative director for Rouses Markets, said she has looked beyond the field to find signs that the Saints are going back to the Super Bowl. She had to look no further than the Dec. 8 snowfall that blanketed parts of southeast Louisiana.
"There's just something magical about this team," she said. "If people remember that it snowed in the New Orleans area in December 2009 and they went to the Super Bowl. It snowed again this year, so that's a sign that the Saints are going back to the Super Bowl."
Although fans have their sights set on Super Bowl LII, which will be held Feb. 4 in Minneapolis, many understand that it may not happen this season. But the Saints appear to have the right pieces in place to make Super Bowl runs in upcoming seasons.
"If they don't do it this year, I believe the Saints can do it next year because they have some good young players," Stewart said. "The Saints are hungry to win another Super Bowl, and they are about to make it happen."